What is the Best at Home Workout

Working out at home might seem like a waste of time if you don’t have hundreds or thousands of dollars to invest in equipment, but the reality is that sometimes the top at home workout is cheap or free. Better yet, if you have the right routine, you’ll be getting just as much mileage for your time as you would at the gym. It’s the perfect solution for me – I used to skip workouts on busy days – but also for people who just aren’t comfortable at the gym, can’t afford a membership, or just prefer the comfort of their home.

No Equipment

No dumbbells? No problem. These exercises use nothing but your own body and its weight.

The Plank: Planking is great for exercising your abdominal muscles and improving your muscular endurance. To perform a plank, get into a pushup position and place your elbows and forearms on the floor. Only your toes, elbows, forearms, and hands should be touching the floor. Keep your body straight. Hold this position for 60 seconds or longer.

Elevated Pushups: Regular pushups are fine, but an elevated pushup works out your chest, arms, and shoulders all at once. For one rep, simply place your toes on a sturdy object such as a chair, box, or bench, and do some pushups! Use taller objects for a more demanding workout. Remember to keep your back straight and place your hands slightly further apart than your shoulders.

Step-up: This is one of the best home workouts for your legs and abdomen – with the added bonus of some cardio. I like to do step-ups with dumbbells in each hand to focus more on muscle growth, but they’re by no means required. For one rep, position yourself in front of a sturdy platform – I highly recommend a bench, but you could also use a chair, low concrete wall, etc. Then, keeping your back and neck straight, step up onto the platform with one foot. Hold that position briefly, and then lower yourself back down.

With Equipment

Invest in a few dumbbells; many of the best at home workouts require just a little bit of added weight. Remember to try each exercise with lighter weights first – all movements use different muscles, and nothing kills a workout like muscle strain!

Lateral Raises: An easy workout for your arms, back, and shoulders. There are two versions of this workout:

1. Single – stand up straight and raise one arm to the side so that your hand is shoulder-height. Hold this position briefly before lowering your arm. Repeat with opposite arm.
2. Double – stand slightly bent over. Raise both arms to the sides; briefly hold position before lowering them.

ExRx has more tips on double lateral raises, along with animations and more information – I highly recommend this site, and use it myself regularly.

Squats with Dumbbells: You can do squats without weights, but I chose to list this as an exercise with dumbbells because they transform it from a great workout into an incredible one. Squats work wonders for your body – this article sums it up pretty well. For one rep, hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet in line with your shoulders. Keep your back and neck straight and your arms at your sides. Squat down as far as you can go before the dumbbells hit the floor, then straighten back up. If anything on this list can be said to be the best at home workout, this is it.

Pull-ups: Once again, these can technically be done without equipment if you happen to have a convenient spot, but they are much safer and much more effective with a pull-up bar. Amazon has a wide selection under or around $30 – absolutely worth the investment. This is THE exercise for back development; it targets all of the important muscles in your back at once. For one rep, grab the bar with your hands about shoulder-width apart and palms facing forward. Pull yourself up so that your chest is at the same height as your hands; hold briefly, then lower yourself to a hanging position.

The Plan

Getting the best at home workout requires a good routine and dedication. Remember that everyone has different limits – try this routine, and scale it up or down as necessary.

1. Pull-ups: 6 reps
2. Step-up: 20 reps, each leg
3. Single lateral raises: 10 reps, each arm
4. Squats with dumbbells: 20 reps
5. Elevated pushups: 10 reps
6. Planking: 2 minutes

Alternating between upper and lower body-focused exercises will give you a moment to rest your muscles, but remember to take a 30 second break between each set.

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